1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to candle assemblies, and more specifically to candle assemblies having a fuel element, a wick, and a wick retainer.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
Candles and candle assemblies of all types are known in the art and have generally been focused on different varieties of votive candles, pillar candles, deep drawn candles, and melting plate candles. Some candle assemblies include a support structure or container to hold the candle wax, a wick, and optionally include a wick retainer that locates and secures the wick thereto.
More recently, melting plate candles and simmer plates have been used to provide rapid melting of a solid fuel element and/or rapid dispensing of a vaporizable material to the atmosphere. One example of a melting plate candle includes a wax fuel element, a removable wick disposed in the wax fuel element, and a heat conductive base having conductive elements. Heat from a flame at the wick is transferred to the heat conductive base, which in turn helps melt the wax fuel element at locations other than directly adjacent to the flame.
One safety concern of some candles and candle assemblies is flashover, whereby the wax reaches an unsafe temperature and causes combustion. There have previously been multiple attempts to help prevent flashover in candles and candle assemblies. One such attempt includes raising the wick sustainer off of a bottom wall of the support structure on which the fuel element, wick retainer, and wick sit such that the candle flame goes out when the level of the molten wax drops below the wick retainer, thereby cutting off fuel to the wick. Another way to prevent flashover is to crimp the sustainer tightly to the wick such that when molten wax drops below the sustainer, the wick is unable to access molten fuel and the flame is extinguished.
One disadvantage of previous candle assemblies is that such assemblies typically leave an amount of unused wax on the support structure because of the aforementioned methods to prevent flashover. Even in assemblies that do not try to prevent flashover, fuel may be left over, which leaves a negative impression on the consumer. Leftover and excess wax is an even larger problem when the support structure for the candle is reused with another single-use wax element. Leftover wax may cause unpleasant mixing when the new wax element is added to the support structure and an associated wick is lit, thereby sending fragrance from the leftover wax into the surrounding atmosphere at the same time as the fragrance being released from the actively burning wax.